Olympus E-450 vs Pentax 645Z

Below is a extended analysis of the Olympus E-450 vs Pentax 645Z, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Pro DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-450 (10MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the E-450 (Four Thirds) and 645Z (Medium format) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-450 was introduced 6 years prior to the 645Z and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-450 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-450 scores vs the 645Z in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-450 and Pentax 645Z. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-450 Gallery and Pentax 645Z Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-450 features outer dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") and a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-450 vs Pentax 645Z in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-450 vs the 645Z.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-450 and 645Z is 77 and 49 respectively.

Quite often, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements merely by viewing technical specs. The graphic here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-450 and 645Z.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-450 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will provide you with more detail using its extra 41MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older E-450 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.